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They say everything comes back into style eventually, and it looks like even the pre-Industrial Revolution tradition of custom-made goods has come around again, albeit in thoroughly modern fashion.

Before technology and Ford’s assembly line revolutionized industry, goods were handmade to the specific needs of the customer. Victorian-era shops weren’t full of racks of corsets and waistcoats for browsing. They were simple storefronts with a craftsman waiting inside to take your measurements, help select your fabric, and get to work on the months-long process of making your clothes.

Mass production brought affordability and convenience — at the cost of quality and detail. Soon, customization became the exclusive domain of the rich and famous. Up until recently, hand-tailored suits, custom-designed furniture and one-of-a-kind artifacts told everyone you were special enough, and wealthy enough, to have things made just for you.

Lucky for us, we’re alive to see these two great industrial trends come together: the era of mass customization is here, and crafty entrepreneurs and big brands alike are capitalizing in big ways on the desires of the masses to express our individuality through the things we buy.

Could personalization give your startup an edge?

Customization has lots of upsides: A recent Bain & Co. survey found that customers who customized products online visited the company’s website more and for longer periods of time, were more loyal, and rated their experiences higher than customers who did not personalize products. Customers also perceive products to be of higher value when they help to create them. And by observing customers’ preferences, you can further refine your marketing and offerings to appeal to their preferences.

All good, right? So why can I see you shaking your head and saying “customization would kill my bottom line”? Perhaps these ideas will help you see the light:

Offer choices. This one’s all the rage. With relative ease, businesses are letting customers customize everything from handbags (Ethreads) to candy (My M&Ms) and Nikes to a signature scent. Even Coke is tapping the power of personalization as part of a summer campaign. If you’re selling a product, you can let your customer choose color combinations, create patterns, or select text to personalize their purchase. If you’re selling software, let your user pick themes, colors, background images, and fonts, and give them easy tools for importing images and logos.

You can, and should, make it simple. Offering choice is good, but too many choices can turn customers off. It’s a phenomenon known as decision paralysis; in one famous study, customers presented with 24 different jars of jam purchased far fewer jars than customers who only saw six types of jam. Even though the study continues to ignite debate, it's clear there’s a sweet spot between too many choices and none at all. So don’t worry about offering the moon; start small and test your way into the right mix for your business.

Do the work for your customer. Don’t confuse personalization with shifting the burden of creation to the customer. A custom furniture designer wouldn’t ask his customer to grab a hammer and help build the table (unless it’s Ikea, but that’s a topic for another day). Maybe you already know enough about your customer to personalize your product for her. Here’s how we do it at my company: when a customer starts a Citrix ShareFile trial, our branding interns visit the customer’s website and use the company logo and colors to custom-brand the file-sharing portal. With relatively little cost, we give our customers a little surprise when they log in (one they rave about) and young designers some great experience.

Consider the ROI. Would personalization of your product or service increase retention or boost demand? Will it give you a competitive edge? Can you charge more to cover the expense? You might be surprised at how an investment in customization can pay off. So give it a test. Maybe mass customization can work for you.